[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 128 (Tuesday, September 28, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11538-S11539]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate now 
proceed to a period of morning business with Senators permitted to 
speak for up to 10 minutes each.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Reserving the right to object, I want to ask the 
majority leader a question before we move forward. I have been waiting 
with amendments that speak to the pain and suffering of farmers in my 
State. Are there going to be opportunities for me, as a Senator from an 
agricultural State, to bring forth substantive amendments that will 
speak to what has happened to the farmer? Will there be vehicles or 
opportunities to come to the floor and introduce amendments and pass 
legislation that will help farmers in my State?
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I was under the impression we had already 
done the Agriculture appropriations bill for this fiscal year, and it 
did include some disaster and drought money.
  That conference is meeting right now, or will be meeting during the 
day and has been meeting, to make sure we are giving proper 
consideration to the negative impact of low prices on agriculture in 
America and also to assess as best we can the impact of the drought. 
The Senate has already considered that. It was subject to amendment. We 
do also wish to make sure bankruptcy laws are applicable and necessary 
action is taken. I know Senator Grassley is working, along with 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle, to make sure the bankruptcy laws 
and their benefits are available to our farmers.
  We certainly are working very aggressively to try to make sure we 
address these problems appropriately. I don't think we need to revisit 
a whole number of amendments in this area on the bankruptcy bill 
itself. I think when we get to bankruptcy we should be on bankruptcy 
and not use that as an ``in basket'' for every problem that may be on 
some Member's mind.
  However, I think I have answered the question. We are working on 
agriculture needs. Hopefully, within the week we will have an 
agreement, and we will be voting on that bill either later on this week 
or early next week.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Reserving the right to object, let me simply follow up 
with a question. My understanding is the conference committee has not 
met for the past week; second, I know Senator Byrd and Senator Dorgan 
will speak about what is or is not in the

[[Page S11539]]

bill. In this appropriations bill, we were not able to come out with 
any legislation that dealt with the price crisis, the whole question of 
concentration of power that dealt with what is happening to the family 
farmers.
  Is the bankruptcy bill the pending business after the morning 
business? Will we bring the bankruptcy bill to the floor with 
opportunities for Senators to introduce amendments that will make a 
difference for family farmers? Will we have that opportunity?
  Mr. LOTT. I cannot answer that question at this time.
  Mr. WELLSTONE. Reserving the right to object, I will do everything I 
can between now and however long it takes, if I am the last person 
standing, to insist I have a right as a Senator from Minnesota to come 
to the floor and introduce legislation that will speak to the pain and 
suffering of family farmers in my State. I will not stop colleagues 
from speaking in morning business, but forthwith I will have to stay on 
the floor until I have a chance to make a difference for farmers.
  Mr. LOTT. I wonder if the Senator might want to take this up in the 
Agriculture Committee and with Members of the Senate who are involved 
and work with the appropriators on both sides of the aisle. They are 
working now to try to deal with these issues.

  Mr. WELLSTONE. Reserving the right to object, Democrats have not been 
involved in that Appropriations Committee to my knowledge in terms of 
any meeting over the last week. Second, with all due respect to the 
majority leader, we are an amending body. Quite often we come to the 
floor with amendments. We especially come to the floor with amendments 
when we are dealing with a crisis situation.
  We are dealing with a crisis situation in rural America. It is not 
business as usual. I am going to insist that I have the right to come 
to this floor with amendments that will speak to farmers in Minnesota 
and around the country to make a difference.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. DORGAN. Reserving the right to object, I will not object, but I 
want to correct a misimpression on the floor. The conference committee 
in the agricultural appropriations area has not been meeting. I am a 
conferee. I would know if they are meeting. There is no meeting. It 
adjourned in the middle of last week. There has been no meeting since. 
I read the speculation in the newspapers and in the press that there 
have been agreements made. In fact, one suggestion indicated the 
majority leader had signed off on certain things. I have no idea who is 
reaching these agreements. I have no idea whether that is accurate.
  It is not accurate to say the conference committee is meeting. The 
conference committee is not meeting. No Democratic member of the 
conference committee is able to meet because the conference is not in 
session.
  I will not object either, but I will say there are some who think it 
is appropriate to have a conference between the House and the Senate on 
something this important--and it is one of the most important issues to 
my State dealing with this farm crisis--and it be done behind closed 
doors with one party in secret, and an agreement is brought to the 
floor of the Senate which says take it as it is or leave it.
  That is not the way it will work. I do not have the capability to 
make things happen that I want to have happen, but I can slow things 
down.
  I wanted to correct the impression left when the majority leader said 
the conference has been meeting. The conference has not been meeting. 
It adjourned nearly a week ago. We passed our bill in the Senate August 
4. It is now October. With the urgent crises in farm country, we have 
slow motion going on and no conference at all. I hope the majority 
leader can agree with me that the way we are supposed to legislate is 
to have a conference; that when we call meetings with conferees, we 
have Republicans and Democrats there, we debate the issues, and we take 
votes. I wanted to correct the misimpression there has been a 
conference committee meeting. I am a conferee. That committee has not 
been meeting, and it should.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The majority leader.

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